Two Senior FBI Counterterrorism Officials Reassigned After Katie Miller Case
Bareen Media – Two senior FBI counterterrorism officials in Washington have been removed from their leadership positions and reassigned to FBI headquarters following an internal dispute over the handling of alleged harassing calls received by Katie Miller, the wife of senior White House adviser Stephen Miller.
Michael Burgwald, who led counterterrorism operations at the FBI’s Washington Field Office, and his deputy, Courtland Rae, were reassigned after investigators concluded that the reported calls did not meet the threshold for a further FBI investigation and found no connection to terrorism, according to people familiar with the case.
The White House said senior FBI leadership believed the officials had failed to pursue serious threats against the Miller family. The FBI’s Washington chief, Darren Cox, rejected claims that FBI Director Kash Patel ordered the move, saying it was a personnel decision made at the Washington field-office level.
The two agents were not dismissed from the FBI. Both were transferred to headquarters after being removed from their Washington leadership roles. Burgwald is a West Point graduate, while Rae has held senior national-security positions during a long FBI career.
The case has drawn attention inside the FBI as the bureau faces continued scrutiny over personnel decisions under Patel. Details of the calls involving Katie Miller have not been made public, leaving some aspects of the dispute unclear.
